Vanessa by Marie Wallin

Vanessa is a cardigan that I have been working on for more than a year.  I first noticed the pattern in November 2018 when I was in Oxford Yarn Store with my World War 1 Memorial Quilt.  I wanted to have another go at knitting a fair-isle cardigan. I still haven’t actually finished it.  I have finished the knitting unless I need to alter the sleeves but the garment is still in bits.

The cardigan is knitted in several shades of Rowan Felted Tweed – which is a lovely yarn.  I made a mistake and used the purple colour for the diamonds when I was supposed to use blue.  The chart is so small – I misread the symbol.  However I think it looks more cohesive to use the purple twice.  Also it demonstrates a point that Kaffe Fassett makes that colour look different depending on the colours that they are next to.  I think the purple looks like a different shade further down the pattern when it is next to the pink.

I don’t think I have ever finished a fair-isle cardigan  for an adult – I remember trying to knit a Debbie Bliss design in cotton.  I never finished that.  I have knitted lots of little fair-isle cardigans for babies and small children and I have knitted a fair-isle jumper that I don’t think I ever wore. 

In order to make this cardigan more wearable I have knitted the sleeves downwards (so I didn’t exactly follow the pattern - I knitted the instructions backwards).  This means that if the sleeves are too long (or too short) I can unravel or knit more rib.  I know I should measure them and I do but somehow I often still have problems. 

I have been to my local yarn stores more recently – and on one of my last visits to the nearest one (Banbury Sewing Centre) – I bought a lot of buttons.  For many years I have said I must start a cardigan with the buttons and then get the yarn to go with them because I always have problems the other way around.  Also although I have a lot of yarn and lots of odd buttons – if we have another lockdown – it would be good to be able to finish garments because I had already bought the buttons.  I still haven’t finished a jacket I knitted during lockdown because although I have now bought some buttons – I haven’t sewn them on.  I need to keep up the momentum on a project or it just drifts.

I have started knitting a few things for Christmas.  I did do some in April but now the deadline is a bit closer.  This is good because it does focus the mind on finishing them.  I hope I am doing better this year because – at least it isn’t December yet.  Unlike some knitters who are still knitting on Christmas Eve – I have to be more organized because most things need to be posted – so I have to complete them before the last posting date!